Even Soldado Cant believe it as he scores first goal this year as Solskjaer's troubled side fall to another defeat

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Roberto Soldado's first goal in nine games fired Tottenham to a 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory over struggling Cardiff at White Hart Lane.
The under-fire 28-year-old ended his two-month drought with a cool first-half finish as Spurs edged past Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's relegation-threatened Cardiff.
Soldado's relief was palpable as the £26million Valencia capture notched just his sixth goal in 29 Tottenham appearances.
Tim Sherwood's Spurs consolidated fifth place in the Premier League table with their third win in four league games.
Cardiff's seventh consecutive Premier League defeat on the road leaves them one point and one place off the bottom of the table.

Finally! Roberto Soldado scored his first goal of 2014, finishing off a clinical Spurs counter-attack

 

Joy: Tottenham team-mates mob the £26m Spaniard

Stunned: This young Spurs fan can't believe it...

Relief: Soldado's goal leaves Spurs four points off the Champions League places

Joy: Tottenham team-mates mob the £26m Spaniard

 

Stunned: This young Spurs fan can't believe it...

Match facts

Tottenham (4-4-2): Lloris 6.5, Naughton 6.5, Dawson 7.5, Vertonghen 7, Fryers 6, Lennon 6.5, Paulinho 6.5 (Sandro 73 min, 6), Dembele 7, Townsend 6 (Chadli 69, 6), Soldado 6.5 (Kane 82), Adebayor 7.
Subs not used: Sigurdsson, Friedel, Sandro, Bentaleb, Veljkovic.
Goals: Soldado 28.
Booked: Sandro.
Manager: Tim Sherwood 6.5.
Cardiff (5-3-2): Marshall 6.5; Fabio 6 (Jones 71, 6), Caulker 7, Cala 7, Turner 6.5, John 6.5; Gunnarsson 6 (Daehil 62, 6), Medel 7, Kim 6; Campbell 5.5, Bellamy 5.5 (Mutch 62, 6).
Subs not used: Cowie, Théophile-Catherine, Lewis, Zaha.
Booked: Bellamy, Kim.
Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 6.
Ref: Phil Dowd 6.
Att: 35,512.
*Player ratings by MATT BARLOW at White Hart Lane

Spurs struggled for control throughout the clash, holding midfield duo Paulinho and Mousa Dembele too often too deep and generally unconvincing.
Soldado's evident goal-shyness wracked the opening exchanges, the Spain striker wrestling unsuccessfully with two half-chances in three minutes.
Spurs twice sent Aaron Lennon in behind the Cardiff defence, with the England winger delivering accurate crosses both times.
First Soldado was unlucky not to direct his near-post header closer to the target but on the second Lennon cross he just overran the ball, failing to add any power as he nodded tamely at Cardiff keeper David Marshall.
Craig Bellamy caught Andros Townsend in possession to race clear and send Fabio tearing into the Spurs box. As the Brazilian pulled the trigger though, Spurs skipper Michael Dawson produced a timely block.
Livewire Cardiff striker Bellamy was then booked for dissent after Dawson cut out a threatening ball that would have set him clear on goal.
Tottenham's aerial chances kept coming, with Dawson heading straight at Marshall after Kyle Naughton's well-worked free kick.
Dawson hacked a long-range shot well wide before glancing a near-post header wide of the static Marshall's far post after a pinpoint Naughton corner.

Chance: Cardiff's Steven Caulker should have scored but saw his header crash back off the bar